Your hypothesis is wrong. At one point I was thinking of changing careers and gave a serious consideration to getting a law degree. I've had long conversations with several attorneys and did plenty of research. You would be surprised at how little most new attorneys make. Unless you land at a firm, you'll end up scrambling to find your own clients as a solo practitioner. Some give up and end up working in the business world on the edges of the legal profession.

> One used to be able to self-study, pass an exam, and practice law. Now it virtually always requires 3 years of law school, at a cost of thousands.

This is state by state. In most U.S. states, you have to go to an accredited brick-and-mortar school, graduate, and pass the bar exam. At that time, there was only two online law schools, both in California. I believe that in CA (maybe one other state) also will let you apprentice for a licensed attorney and pass the bar to become a licensed attorney.